Muscat — Oman’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation has issued a new ministerial decision tightening the conditions under which private universities can receive government financial grants, replacing rules that have been in force for more than two decades.
Under Ministerial Decision No. 79/2025, published this week, non-government universities may apply for a financial grant starting Dec. 22, the day after the regulation’s publication, according to the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.
The decision sets out detailed eligibility requirements, including that applicant universities must hold institutional accreditation from the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education, must not have previously received a government grant, and must operate at least three colleges.
Universities must also be operating from permanent campuses, or have begun construction, be listed in the QS Arab Region University Rankings in the year of application, and enroll at least 100 international students.
Additional requirements include having graduated at least three bachelor’s cohorts, publishing no fewer than 250 peer-reviewed research papers annually, hosting at least 10 academic conferences, seminars or related events over the previous five years, and maintaining active community service programmes.
The new decision replaces Ministerial Decision No. 2/2002, under which eligibility was broadly linked to registration under the private universities law, without the detailed academic, research and internationalisation criteria now introduced.
Grant value unchanged
The ministry said eligible universities may receive a grant equal to up to 50% of their capital, capped at RO 3 million ($7.8 million). The percentage and ceiling remain unchanged from the repealed 2002 decision.
The grant must be used exclusively to finance the construction of university buildings and may not be allocated to operating expenses. The Ministry of Finance will sign the grant agreement, while the Oman Development Bank will manage and monitor disbursement and implementation.
Universities are required to provide financial or in-kind guarantees to ensure compliance with the terms of the grant and may not dispose of assets funded by the grant without prior approval from both the higher education and finance ministries. Any violation of the decision’s key provisions will obligate the university to repay the full grant amount, the decision said.
